John Stott – the inside story
ASDA and the call of God –
on the frontline in Dewsbury

What’s the Big Idea?
Mark Greene on Jesus’ design for life

2009 – A Year of
Decisive Change at LICC
Mark Greene reflects on a year when the whole-life cause
moved forward in new and fruitful ways
Every culture has its concept of heroism.
In contemporary Western culture, our
heroes, if we still have any, tend to be
individualistic loners, wrestling against
dread and mighty forces and conquering
them with not much more external help
than the tutelage of a benign, greying
mentor and the loyalty and pluck of some
encouraging sidekicks. Think Skywalker,
Bond, Potter… In such a culture it is
tempting for any individual, or indeed
any organisation, to cast their story in
that mythic mould.
But the keynote of the last year at LICC
has not been about us standing high and

whole-life disciple-making culture in
the local church on every Spring Harvest
site in every week. And we wouldn’t have
had the opportunity to complete original
research about the challenges facing
some 3,000 Christian adults in the UK.
Without the partnership with Elim, we
would not have had the opportunity to see
7,000 copies of a special edition of their
magazine go out brimming with articles
about whole-life discipleship from the
LICC team – articles about work as a
calling, about changing church culture,
and about leadership. Nor would we be
learning with them how to inject this

Changing Church,
Changing Mission
This, of course, is so encouraging. After
all, our goal at LICC is not merely to
envision and equip those who we connect
to directly, but to work towards a deep
and decisive change in the culture of the
UK church as a whole. We long to see a
church gripped by the comprehensive
vision for whole-life discipleship
that Jesus’ teaching envisages and
his commission commands; vibrant
communities of people that ‘spur one
another on towards love and good deeds’
in every arena they find themselves in.

alone on a rugged hilltop, trumpeting
the cause of whole-life discipleship
into a gale of cold indifference. No, the
keynote has been partnership: warm
and purposeful partnership in research
and reflection, warm and purposeful
partnership in resource development
and dissemination.

perspective into pastoral training in their
theological college and beyond.
Without the partnership of the Baptist
Union, we wouldn’t now be working
with them on a variety of practical
and theological initiatives to help their
churches fulfil the Union’s descriptor
slogan: ‘encouraging missionary
disciples’.
Without RUN, and Bishop Graham
Cray, Mission Scotland, and many other
organisations, and the many churches
who have trusted us, we would not have
had so many opportunities to learn
from others as well as to share what we
have learned.

Obviously, such a change requires
more than a few lone voices. It
requires partners, fellow travellers;
people who, whether independently or
interdependently, are working to see how
the Lord’s mission might be worked out
in daily life, to see how his ways might
shape all our ways.
Indeed, to be effective and
sustainable, it requires change not just
in individuals and in local churches,
but in denominational strategy and in
the training of pastors and leaders in
theological colleges. After all, if our
pastors are not being envisioned and
equipped in theological colleges to

Partners in the Cause
So, without Spring Harvest’s partnership,
we wouldn’t have had the opportunity
to communicate to around 15,000 new
people our vision for how the UK may be
reached. Nor the opportunity to share
material on how to begin to create a
2

but rather to inject the whole-life gene
at all the key points in the formation of
Christian mission and discipleship:

Changing Church Culture
After two-and-a-half years working with
16 local churches, the Imagine team
now nears the end of Phase 1 of the Pilot
Project. We have learned a great deal
about the dynamics of creating a wholelife disciple-making culture, both from
successes and failures, triumphs and

The Word for Today
Antony Billington’s arrival has enabled
us to go deeper in our Scriptural
engagement, and to begin to shape and
pass on resources that demonstrate the
centrality of the whole-life missional
gospel. In April 2009, he, Margaret
Killingray and Helen Parry launched
a new one-year email ‘Word for the
Week’ series with whole-life as its
central theme.
This material will probably then
be expanded and made available in
print form. The new website has given
Antony the opportunity to contribute
a regular piece on biblical themes in
our new monthly podcast, whilst Helen
Parry will be publishing the first in a
series of introductory essays on biblical
interpretation later this month. Antony
is also a key contributor to the national
Biblefresh initiative, looking specifically
at how to help bring the Bible alive in
group settings.

And this year we have seen that begin to
happen in a formal and structured way. It
represents a decisive shift in the way we
operate – not just as teachers and writers,
but also as consultants and co-learners.
In all of this there has been the sense

setbacks. The team’s report, due next
spring, will not only reflect on the results
but also provide a clear pathway for other
churches who want to create a whole-life
missional culture. In addition, a number
of resources have been field-tested and
enhanced, and will be made available
over the coming year.
At the same time, our new North-West
pilot, led by Chick Yuill (see page 5),
will test our conclusions and enable us
to learn how to transfer the facilitation
skills that Neil Hudson has acquired over
the period. All this will be fed directly
into our work with denominations and
theological colleges.

Work in Progress
Work continues to be one of the main
practical areas we address, and the
team of Workplace Associates and I
have fulfilled a large number of training
engagements all over the country.
In addition, the team has been
working on a variety of new resources.
The third in the IVP work series I
am editing – Jago Wynne’s excellent
Working without Wilting – has
now been published, whilst James
Featherby’s The White Swan Formula
has met with much appreciation here
and abroad, with a Korean edition in
process.

make whole-life missionary disciples,
then the bulk of local churches will not
change. If denominational leadership is
not encouraging a whole-life disciplemaking culture, then it is unlikely that
such a focus will be sustainable in the
long-term.
Our goal is not just to influence
individuals and some local churches:

of God’s favour. One sows, one waters,
but it is God who gives the growth. And,
personally, I stand amazed at what the
Lord has done. And I am enormously
grateful to him. As indeed I am to our
supporters and many trusts, without
whose generosity in terms of prayers
and wisdom, thoughtful critique and
financial support, none of this would
have been possible.
That’s the overview – the inauguration
of a new season at LICC. And that has
had implications for every area of our
work. How do we serve our partners in
our joint mission?

3

LICC FUNDING SOURCES 2009/10
UNKNOWN/
SPONTANEOUS INCOME

ASSURED
INCOME
Investments

Trusts £100k

£10k
£420k

Regular
individual gifts
and standing
orders

£210k

Events, courses, speaking
donations, book sales, etc

£50k
Rent of St Peter’s

£40k

Churches £10k

Supporting Christians in Education
continues to find favour – and Salisbury
Diocese is the latest organisation to
make it available to their clergy. Special
editions are planned for Singapore,
Australia, and parts of the former
Soviet Union.
Still, we have not been able do
everything we had hoped.
In particular, we were not
able to appoint a Director
of Workplace Ministries.
This remains a pressing
need if we are to make the
most of the wisdom of the
Associate Team, distilling
it and disseminating it as
widely as it merits.

forum for practitioners to share ideas
and hone praxis. A number of key
issues have been identified: a lack of
input from churches into the vocational
training of their young people, limited
success in nurturing spiritual maturity
in young people, and very little
engagement with school subjects from
a biblical perspective,
to name but a few. This
research is being fed
into his national work
on ‘Youthwork: the
Conference’ and into
the development of new
resources.

We are
intensely
aware of the
urgency and
depth of need
for the gospel
in our land

Discipling Young
People Today
The habit of seeing and
living life missionally
is best acquired young.
Jason Gardner, our Lecturer in Youth
Discipleship, has been engaged in
researching best practice in discipling
young people, as well as in creating a
4

Getting the Word
Out
This year, Nigel Hopper,
alongside his work on
culture, re-launched
our website. There’s
now more capacity and
flexibility, and it’s enabled us to begin
a monthly podcast, featuring interviews
with practitioners and explorations of
biblical and cultural themes.

Fuel for the Journey –
Finance & Prayer
Financially, it’s been a hard year for many
people, so it’s with enormous gratitude
that I can report that in the financial year
2008-2009, LICC had a small surplus.
This year, due to our rent increase, our
budget has risen to its highest ever –
£840,000. Based on standing orders,
historic giving, and trusts, we began the
year knowing where around £420,000
of that total might come from. That left a
gap of £420,000. At the time of writing,
the gap has narrowed to £160,000, which
we need to fill by 31 March 2010. It’s a
big number.
LICC does have a group of regular
prayer partners and, we trust, many
others who pray for us and occasionally
offer insight. We are very grateful to
them. If you’d like to join the regular
group who receive a monthly email and
have volunteered to pray in emergency,
do let us know. Otherwise, prayer
updates can be found on the website at
licc.org.uk/about-licc/support/pray
The Year Ahead
At the moment, we have more
opportunities to serve, and more
avenues to explore, than we can possibly
pursue. However, we do not want to be
driven by demand but, rather, guided
by the Spirit. We are intensely aware of
the urgency and depth of need for the
gospel in our land – millions who do
not know Jesus are, day by day, hour by
hour, closer to hell.
At the same time, we are conscious
that the overcoming of the sacredsecular divide and the development of
a church in the UK that is committed
to whole-life missionary discipleship
is a long-term project that needs deep
roots and careful tending. Discernment
is vital.
For your partnership
in this, thank you.
May the Lord be
with you wherever he
has called you to show
and share his ways at
such a time as this.

A New Steer on Stott
Ahead of John Stott’s final book, The Radical Disciple, due
in January, IVP recently published a new biography of LICC’s
founder. Christine Hughes, recently appointed PA to Executive
Director, Mark Greene, has been reading it…
Inspirational and informative, this fresh account of John Stott’s
life and ministry encapsulates the warmth, compassion and
intellect of the man who, whilst arguably the most influential
evangelical of the twentieth century, is known to many as
‘Uncle John’.
Roger Steer portrays the spirit of discipline and dedication
that characterised the young John and enabled him, through
the church, to give his life in service to his nation, the world
and to God.
Thoroughly researched and clearly written, this biography
gives a concise overview of a full and active career. John Stott
may be unique in his nearly ninety-year link with the same parish
church, but his career has been far from limited to the parochial.
As we follow in Stott’s footsteps, we are taken round the globe
from preaching tours in Australia to preaching workshops in
Uganda; from visits to Buckingham Palace in his role as Chaplain
to Her Majesty the Queen to visiting Mother Teresa in Calcutta.
Both All Souls Langham Place and St Peter’s Vere Street are

brought to life as vibrant places of worship, the latter being the
venue for Stott’s first sermon, and where many have been brought
to Christ not only through his preaching, but also through his
care for the vulnerable.
John Stott has been a role model for all
that he has preached, the essence of which
he summed up in typically evangelical style
during what was to be his last sermon at
the Keswick Convention in 2007: ‘God’s
purpose is to make us like Christ. God’s
way to make us like Christ is to fill us with
his Spirit. In other words, it is a Trinitarian
conclusion, concerning the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
The reader is welcomed into Stott’s favourite place, his private
retreat in Wales called ‘The Hookses’, where many happy hours
have been spent digging the garden, entertaining friends and
indulging his great passion of birdwatching.
Written with genuine affection, this book is a joy to read and
will make readers wish they knew John Stott better, and could
count him among their personal friends.
Inside Story – The Life of John Stott, by Roger Steer is available
from licc.org.uk/shop/books, or by calling 020 7399 9555.

More to Imagine
For many years a pastor, teacher and leader in the Salvation
Army, Chick Yuill has spent the last two-and-a-half years
working as a freelance speaker, writer and broadcaster. From
September 2007 to September 2009, he chaired HOPE 09 in
Greater Manchester. Here, Chick explains why joining LICC’s
Imagine team to develop the project in the North-West is a
timely move – for him and for Imagine…
Like many others, for far too long I assumed
that the most important question facing us was:
how do we get people in the UK to come to
church? Gradually, it began to dawn on me that
there were two things wrong with this question.
Firstly, most people in the UK simply aren’t
coming. Secondly, and more importantly, the New Testament is
all about going with the gospel, rather than waiting for others
to come to us.
That’s when I began to think what we really should be asking
was: how do we take the church – and the Lord of the church –
out into the world where people are? But as time has gone on and
I’ve become a little wiser, I’m increasingly convinced that the
real question is this: how do we discover what the risen Christ
is doing in the world, in order that we can share in his work and
ministry as committed and effective disciples?
That’s why, when the opportunity came to be part of LICC’s
Imagine project, with its focus on whole-life discipleship, I
jumped at the chance. Rejoicing in the splendid title of Regional

Church Life Consultant, my mandate is to work with individual
Christians, church leaders and congregations in the North-West,
to encourage and facilitate a transition in church culture to the
point where equipping men and women for 24/7 discipleship is
central to all we do.
When we get serious about asking how we get involved in
what Jesus is doing out in the world and outside the walls of our
churches, we are confronted with a whole series of questions:
Do we really value what Christians do with the great proportion
of their time that is spent outside of church activities?
Does the way in which we do church really equip and prepare
them to live as disciples in their everyday lives?
What does the follower of Jesus bring to family, work and
leisure more than simply being a decent and moral person?
These questions have shaped the development of the Imagine
project. Over the next couple of years I’ll be working with my
fellow Christians in the North-West to build on what’s been learnt.
Together, we want to find ways in which we can create momentum
within this region, inspiring churches to embrace the challenge of
whole-life discipleship, and to shape their community life around
this central calling. My hope is that the lessons we learn here
will translate into wisdom for application elsewhere.
To read more about our vision for church, and for life lived well
with God on the frontline, read Chick’s sermon at the service in
Manchester for the 2009 Conservative Party Conference. Follow
the Quick Picks link at licc.org.uk/imagine
5

The Best Idea in the World?
Mark Greene’s new book makes a big claim, but he thinks
Scripture is on his side. EG editor, Nigel Hopper plays Paxman…
Nigel: What’s the big idea?

Mark: The big idea is Jesus’ big idea.
The best idea in the world is the great
commandment – love God, love your
neighbour. And love is about relationship.
So, Jesus is telling us is that what is
most important to him is the quality of
our relationships – with him and other
people. And he is commanding us to
bring those criteria to bear in every
decision in our everyday life, at work, at
home, at school. How does this decision
affect my relationship with God? How
does this decision affect my relationship
with other people?
So, for example, what happens to
relationships in a family if you buy
your child a TV for their bedroom? No
one talks to each other. It’s obvious.
And yet 65 per cent of children have
TVs in their bedroom. Lots of parents
didn’t ask the obvious question. What
happens to an urban regeneration area,
like the Oxhey Estate near where I live,
if you close down the secondary school
and bus kids to five different locations?
Well, as one resident said to me, ‘it
tore the heart out of the community’.
Yes, it may have made sense to the
Department of Education, but I’m
not sure that the Police and Social
Services, never mind the people on the
estate, would now see it as a helpful
decision for the overall community.
Nigel: What made
you write this book?

Mark: I read Michael Schluter and David
Lee’s The R Factor in the early 1990s
and it completely revolutionised the way
I thought about the great commandment
and its application to living life.
Still, despite my enthusiasm for The
R Factor, I actually never finished it.
Its applications were primarily to social
policy so, almost from the first time I
6

met Michael, I began to nag him to write
a popular version of the book with a
broader set of applications. I tried for
eight years. And failed. Eventually,
Michael suggested I write it. And then he
started nagging me. The
point is that I really, really
wanted this book written
because I believed that
the thinking would be so
helpful to people. So when
Michael turned the tables
on me and asked me to do
it, I could hardly refuse.
Nigel: Who did you
write this book for?

Waterman and Peter’s In Search of
Excellence, Gladwell’s The Tipping Point,
for example. But Jesus’ ‘big Idea’ has so
much more traction than any of those. It’s
passed the test of time, it works in every
area of life and, if you’re
open to a relationship with
him, it offers the resources
to actually live it out. So
we very much wanted
to produce a book that
Christians could give to
their non-Christian friends,
hoping that they would enjoy
the style, pace and content
of the first half, that focuses
on relationships with
people, and that when they
got to the sections about the distinctive
nature of Christianity as a relational
faith and about loving God, they’d be
sufficiently engaged to keep going. And
if they don’t, well, they’d probably still
be grateful to their Christian friend,
and perhaps convinced that Jesus has
something practical to offer the twentyfirst century world.

In Search of
Excellence, The
Tipping Point…
Jesus’ ‘big idea’
has so much
more traction
than any
of those

Mark: We’ve addressed
it to two main groups of people:
those who know Jesus and those who
don’t. The reality is that you don’t
have to be a Christian to benefit
from relational thinking. And there
has long been a demand for ‘big
idea’ books, ones that purport to
help you see the world differently
and live differently as a result –

A splendid Christmas present,
short enough not to feel overwhelming,
inexpensive enough not to create too great
a sense of obligation, light enough to…
Nigel: I sense the resurgence
of the old adman in you…

Mark: Alas, you can take the adman out
of advertising in the blink of an eye, but
it takes longer to take the advertising out
of the adman… but you can get 2 for £10
from LICC.
Nigel: Many people would agree
that relationships are important,
but find it hard to live lives that way.
How does the book help?

Mark: You’re right. Loving others,
thinking selflessly is actually very hard.
And writing a book like this certainly
gets me on the short list for ‘Hypocrite
of the Year’…

data has been mounting over the last
two thousand years that when it comes
to sacrificial love for people beyond our
own communities, the Christian record
is extraordinary. Whether reaching out
to plague victims in the second century
when everyone else ran
away, or in transforming
areas of extreme poverty
and oppression in Africa
today.
Of course, there’s no
room for self-regarding
complacency here, there’s
more to be done and many an opportunity
missed. Nevertheless, as Matthew Parris,
the atheist journalist, famously wrote in
The Times, many agencies may bring aid
or hospitals or education, but if you are
looking for deep, positive, sustainable
change in a community, look for where

the Christians have been. Knowing
Jesus’ love is transformative and it
brings transformation to others. Parris’
conclusion was that the only hope for
Africa is evangelism. Which, logically,
of course, suggests that the gospel is the
only hope for the world,
and the only hope for
Matthew Parris.
That’s why the great
commandment is the
best idea in the world. It’s
God’s idea. And his love
is the only love that has
the power to turn our selfishness into
sustained sacrificial generosity.

Only Christianity
offers the
resources to love
your neighbour

Mark Greene’s The Best Idea in the World
is available from LICC at £5.99, or 2 for
£10 (exc. p&p). Order online at licc.org.
uk/shop/books, or call 020 7399 9555.

CD of the Quarter
How Christians can Bring About a Social Revolution:
The Relational Agenda
Dr Michael Schluter CBE
This brilliant address begins by asking whether
Christianity needs a new narrative, a new way
of telling the gospel, because so many people
in our society can’t hear us anymore. They see

Nigel: I couldn’t possibly comment…

Christianity as hierarchical, individual, and without

Mark: …Still, the book offers some ways
of looking at relationships that help us see
what’s likely to be healthy and what isn’t.
In addition, one of the book’s big points is
that we can’t actually do it – without God.
Lots of faiths or philosophies would
agree with the axiom to love your
neighbour, but only Christianity offers
the resources to do it. It is only through
a relationship with God that we can
possibly love our neighbour in the way
that we are called to. It is only as we
grasp how loved we are that love can flow
out to others. As John puts it, ‘We love
because he first loved us’ (1 John 4:19).
And whilst you could point to plenty of
individuals who don’t know Jesus who
do many great and loving things, the

credibility. Michael then explores how relational
thinking might offer such a narrative and looks at the relational dimension
at the heart of God himself, the Scriptures, the cross, and the church. He
concludes by coming back to the question of how Christians might bring
about a social revolution, and looks at how relational thinking may provide
a lens for a different way of viewing the world,
and a language for how we speak and
define –and perhaps reframe – issues like
development, poverty and social action.
Friends of LICC will find the CD enclosed
with their copy of EG. Additional CDs can
be ordered online (licc.org.uk/shop/tapesand-cds), or by calling 020 7399 9555.

7

The Church
Has Left the Building…
Dewsbury Elim has been involved with LICC’s Imagine Pilot Project
since 2007, wrestling with how the church can equip its members to
make a difference on their frontlines. Two years on, the Imagine team’s
Ben Care finds out how they’ve been getting on…
‘I’ve had to change the most,’ Pastor
Paul Hudson explains when discussing
the reassessment of perspectives and
priorities that exploring whole-life
discipleship in his church involved. ‘For
many years we had been an ‘attractional’
church – the central focus was on getting
people into the church
building. And over the
years we’d done well,
filling the church
building and putting
on great services. But
gradually we began
to realise there was a disconnection
between what was happening in the
building on a Sunday and what was
happening in people’s lives during the
week. It was as though once we left the
building, the really important business
was over. I needed to be reminded that
for the church members it was just
beginning.’
Attempting to bridge that gap, the
leaders made numerous small changes
that expressed their commitment to
whole-life discipleship. Paul continues,
‘up to that time, if anyone went on the
mission field or to Bible College we would
pray and commission them because it
was “God’s call”. And it is God’s call.
But seeing things in a new light, we
changed. Now, if anyone gets a new job,
gets promoted or goes to university, we
pray because that’s “God’s call” too. So,
if someone gets a job in ASDA, we get
them up on stage to commission them and
to pray for them – that they would be the
best ASDA worker that ASDA has ever
had in Dewsbury!’
8

The whole-life vision has been worked
through the life of the church so that,
from the youngest to the oldest, from
playgrounds to old people’s homes, people
are equipped as missionary disciples.
And it is having an impact. Talking
to church members there is a renewed

sense of confidence. ‘It’s a fresh outlook,’
one member remarked, ‘its taken away
the guilt complex that has built up over
the years that I should be constantly
witnessing openly, aggressively, or I
wasn’t doing my part as a Christian. I’ve
felt very released rather than condemned.’
Peter works for an engineering
company. He said, ‘you know what a
factory is like; the place is filled with
lads. I’ll go in on Monday morning and
they’ll say, “Have you prayed for me this
week?” making a joke of it. But now I can
say in all seriousness, “I have prayed for
you.”’ He continues, ‘I struggle with my
boss, and sometimes I feel like throwing
the towel in or not giving 100 per cent
as a Christian. But since this teaching,
it’s made me realise I’ve got to do my bit
and I just have to think “You might not
appreciate me, and I sometimes don’t like
you, but I’m going to give it my 100 per
cent anyway because this is where God
has called me to be.”’
People have clearly discovered a sense
of purpose in living alongside friends and

work colleagues as agents of mission.
As one member put it, ‘we are church to
our friends. Half of them won’t come to
church and wouldn’t like it if they did.
But they are potential disciples and so
we need to disciple them… Our church
has changed in a good way, it’s more
obvious now that it’s
not just about us lot,
but about everybody
else. So people are not
coming to church just
thinking, “I need to do
this, I need to have this
done to me” but instead with other people
and situations in mind.’ A remarkable
way of looking at things – particularly
from a member of the youth group!
Other ministries have also been
reinvigorated. Nowhere is this clearer
than for Nicky, who annually spends six
months in Sierra Leone as a missionary.
As the church’s focus has changed she
has felt increasingly supported as a whole
person, whether working in the UK or
abroad. Further, she reflected that as
church members began to see themselves
as missionaries in their daily lives,
‘people are beginning to own what is
happening abroad more, as an extension
of their ministry. It’s not just what I’m
doing but what we are doing.’
The decision to explore whole-life
discipleship has meant
radical changes. Yet, as
Paul says, ‘we’ve got a
long way to go, but we’re
on a journey which we
can never recover from.
We can never go back!’

Gathered and Scattered
Ian Hamlin, a Baptist minister based in Kent , recently chose to spend some
of his sabbatical learning alongside LICC’s Imagine team. Here he sheds a
personal light on the challenge of whole-life discipleship to the church…
The crowd waits expectantly for the match
to begin. The players are bound together
in a closed circle, arms tightly around
each other – they’re a team. Confirming
their tactical plan and enthusing one
another, they must soon disperse to
actually play the game…
I am a Baptist. I believe it was part
of the intention of Jesus to call, create,
and establish a specific community
of people, from within any and every
nation and culture, who would bear
primary allegiance to
him. Vital to that is a
regular and prioritised
commitment to meet
together. I believe in the
gathered church.
More than that, I’m
a Baptist minister.
Much of my life is
devoted to ensuring
that the gathering goes
smoothly. The church is
my workplace. I know,
of course, that it’s not
the whole game. And I
genuinely hope that some of what happens
when we gather makes a difference when
we leave. Nevertheless, it’s still hard to
think, practically and seriously, of church
as anything other than the who, when and
where of our meetings.
I know the theology of the church
scattered – disciples being as salt, light
and yeast. Often, though, that’s applied
only to what we do, not what we are;
function rather than identity. Even when
I think of those things we do as mission
activity, I confess I tend to measure
success in terms of how many people we
manage to get to come along and join us
at our gatherings.
I am convinced, though, that the
balance has to shift, and our mindset

has to alter. I’m under no illusions that
it will be hard, not only because I’ve got
used to how things are, but also because
I know it will be costly. Let me share a
couple of stories…
A woman in my congregation – active,
involved in lots of things – comes to me,
and shares some concerns from within
her family. There are issues around
illness, pregnancy, and care needs.
She wants to be more fully involved,
providing support for her family, but

feels guilty that this will mean being
less involved in church activities. I try
to reassure her, to release her to serve
her own. She lays down a number of
church responsibilities, some of which
are difficult to reassign. We see less of
her. She helps immeasurably, but she
still feels guilty.
Someone else, an experienced youth
worker, wanted to do more. We talk about
her becoming a school governor. Again,
I seek to encourage her, to commission
her, even, and she takes the role. She’s
very good, and makes a significant
contribution to the improvement of the
school community. We seldom see her
on a Sunday, or any other time. Her own
faith is struggling.

Success stories? Hardly. Rather, these
are stories full of failure and pain. And
yet both are characterised by a heartfelt
desire to do more – to go further with the
good news.
There’s a push-pull rhythm to the life
of discipleship; church leaders like me
are often more comfortable with the latter
– pulling people towards the life of the
church; the programmes, meetings, events
and services we arrange. Pulling people
towards God, we say. We may struggle
with it, and though it
may not work very well
and frequently frustrate
us, nevertheless we know
what we’re supposed to be
doing. Pushing, or sending,
disciples out into God’s
world to interpret him ‘out
there’, on the other hand,
is an altogether different,
scarier, task.
There is, of course, a
need for both – a need for
the church to be gathered
and scattered. To allow each
of these modes of church to inform the other
is, essentially, a leadership challenge. One
that requires us to wrestle with recognising
the scattered as a legitimate expression
of church – with a mission priority – not
at the expense of the gathered, but as a
motivation towards a renewed role and
significance for our meeting together.
This rethinking of the church is hard. It
will leave holes in the gathered community
of most congregations; the demands on
personal faith will
be high; new forms
of pastoral care will
be required. But it’s
always tougher actually
playing the game than
talking tactics.
9

Contact
Top titles for engaging with the world
Have a Little Faith: A True Story

Sylvia’s Lovers

Mitch Albom

Elizabeth Gaskell

Sphere, 2009

OUP, 2008

The latest book by the author of the best-selling
Tuesdays with Morrie, this is as beautiful,
poignant and compelling as its predecessor.
Albom, a Jew whose faith is largely peripheral
to his everyday life, is asked by his aging rabbi
(Reb) to write his eulogy. A journey of wonder,
questioning and discovery follows, as Albom’s own apathy is
challenged by the devout, yet earthy faith of the rabbi. Along
the way, he also meets Henry, an inner city pastor, who further
challenges his preconceptions about God and faith. Neither
preachy nor proselytizing, this book will inspire you to live
life to the full, whilst gently prompting questions about your
own faith journey. Becca Sampson

Read this book next to a roaring fire surrounded by family.
Why? Because it is possibly the most harrowing, cathartic
experience available in paperback. Beautifully told against
a backdrop of rugged coastline in the small community
of Monkshaven, the tale charts the loves,
losses and betrayals that mark Sylvia’s life.
Although charged as melodramatic by some,
the story provides an honest account of
the pain and cost of redemptive love that
challenges readers to examine their own
capacity to forgive. N aomi C arle

Ground Control: Fear and Happiness
in the Twenty-First Century City

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Anna Minton

Alain de Botton

Penguin, 2009

McClelland and Stuart, 2009

If one of the skills of being a disciple is godly curiosity –
watching and taking notice of the everyday all around us – then
some of us need to learn from those skilled in this venture. De
Botton is one such master. In a series of essays concerning
people engaged in diverse occupations from cargo shipping
to biscuit making to painting, he asks how
their experiences help us understand our
world. You’ll learn more about the things you
take for granted, but more importantly it’ll
encourage you to listen intently to people’s
experiences on their frontlines. Neil Hudson

A well-researched but readable account of
the modern built environment looking at
the city, the home, and civil society. Minton
argues that the creation of cities within cities,
stripped of local history and culture, complete
with up-market housing, gated communities
and private security forces, has generated a culture of
authoritarianism and control, the effect of which is to make the
city a more fearful place where the pursuit of profit threatens
to undermine the quality of urban life. Antony Billington

Pilate – The Biography of an Invented Man
Anne Wroe

The man who doesn’t
read good books has no
advantage over the man
who can’t read them.
Mark Twain

Vintage, 2004

This dazzling, speculative book covers every
aspect of Pilate’s life, looking at both the
contemporary evidence – the NT, Josephus,
one inscription and a few coins – and the
mystery plays, apocryphal writings, traditions
and legends that have followed. Wroe’s select
bibliography covers 12 pages and is fascinating in itself.
Her writing is sometimes moving and lyrical – ‘Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews… Pilate repeats, like some ghostly
bureaucrat, in the three great languages of the civilised world
of the time, the statement Jesus makes in sweat and blood.’
Margaret K illingray

Sometimes it’s hard to know if a book is good,
or whether it’s just resonated with your own
situation. Using Moses’ life as an example of
a leader of God’s people, Barton’s concern is
for the contemporary leader who can get so
engrossed in being a leader that they burn
out, and lose their soul in the process. I appreciated the
insights into the motivations that drive leaders, the emphasis
on discernment and life-rhythm, and the many great quotes and
stories peppered throughout. A book to read slowly. Neil Hudson

My 15-year-old sister cried when she read this book: no one had
ever spoken to her so resonantly about herself before. Despite
coming from a strong, loving Christian family and knowing
her uniqueness in Christ, she hadn’t fully understood her
true worth until she read Cherished. Rachel Gardner’s easy,
chatty style speaks wisdom and encouragement from a genuine
empathetic love for her audience. Each
section ends with space to pray and reflect.
Everyone who knows, or is a teenage girl
should read this book, soak it up and be
ready to pass its wisdom on. Naomi Carle

A thought-provoking collection of essays from a
joint project between Theos, the public theology
think tank, and the Kirby Laing Institute for
Christian Ethics, showcasing – from different
perspectives – the interface between theology
and politics. It helpfully explores biblical
and theological foundations for Christian political thinking
and considers different ideas about the role of government.
This could be valuable contribution not only in encouraging
Christians to see politics as an honourable vocation, but also in
demonstrating something of the wealth of material in Scripture
and Christian political thought. Antony Billington

Bill Hybels

The Lost History of Christianity:

Inspiring Women,
Discovering Biblical Role Models

The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in
the Middle East, Africa, and Asia – and How It Died

IVP, 2009

The book version of Hybels’ sermon series
on Proverbs, this is, in fact, a new format
of an earlier publication. However, its
insight, directness and ability to engage the
imagination haven’t diminished with time.
Whether it’s a life context like work, or a virtue
like truth-telling, or a key decision that’s troubling mind and
spirit, this could be a timely gift for those reflective moments
at the turn of the year – especially when read in parallel with
the source material itself. Tracy Cotterell

Ruth Perrin

Philip Jenkins

Grove, 2009

Lion, 2008

A sermon on Hebrews 11 began ‘These
faithful men…’ and, of course, there are a lot
of prominent men in that chapter – and some
women. This booklet encourages us to look
at lesser-known characters, with small parts
in the narrative, who provide role models for
women and men. The author provides some fascinating case
studies, encouraging us to learn from all those in the ‘great
cloud of witnesses’. Margaret Killingray

Jenkins’ earlier works have documented how Christianity is
exploding in unprecedented ways outside Europe and North
America in the global south. Here he shows that if we read
church history carefully enough, we will see that Christianity –
in its various forms – has always been a global
religion. Especially helpful for those whose
sense of history is predominantly Western,
Jenkins writes of a time when churches
stretched eastwards from Jerusalem to the
Pacific, taking in India, Tibet, and China
along the way. Antony Billington

11

Christmas Cards from LICC
If, like many, you find it hard to track
down a card that captures the essence
of Christmas in a way that is clear
and contemporary, then why not send
your family and friends one of LICC’s
limited edition Christmas cards?
You can choose from two designs
– ‘Gravity’ and ‘The Invitation’ –
each featuring a different poem by LICC’s Executive Director,
Mark Greene.
Perfect for those wanting a card that will catch people’s
attention amidst the festive bustle, giving them cause to stop and
reflect on the reason for the season.
Cards are 145 x 145mm, and
are available in packs of 10 (£5),
20 (£9), and 50 (£17) – all prices
exclude p&p. Available from licc.
org.uk/bookshop, or by calling
020 7399 9555.

Supporting Christians in
Education on Education Sunday
LICC has teamed up with Education
Sunday for 2010 to offer our publication
Supporting Christians in Education
(SCIE) at a significant discount for
bulk purchase. Education Sunday
2010 is on January 31, so it’s not too
late to take advantage of the special
offer and purchase a copy of SCIE for
every teacher, school governor etc. in
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Order your specially discounted
copies via our online store
(licc.org.uk/shop/books) or call
020 7399 9555.

‘Tell me a story’ and ‘Once upon a time’
– a four-word request and a four-word
opening. Both phrases capture something
of the human desire for stories, the power
of stories to engage our minds and hearts,
and their capacity to make sense of life –
to provide a way of linking our individual
stories into some larger scheme.

Along these lines, an increasing number of Christian thinkers
are exploring the significance of the Bible as providing one such
‘big story’ which claims to make sense of the world over and
against the other, competing ‘stories’ of different worldviews.
Helping our young people to see the coherence and relevance of
the biblical narrative in a modern Western context is a chief goal
of discipling today.
Combining teaching with discussion, this workshop provides
an opportunity to dig deeper into Scripture and explore the
implications and benefits of paying attention to the shape of the
‘big picture’ of the Bible, and to see how a Christian worldview is
shaped by an understanding of Scripture as one unfolding story,
from the garden of Genesis to the city of Revelation. We’ll also
be surveying the latest resources aimed at encouraging young
people with no prior faith to engage with the Bible.
Cost: £10 (concessions £7)

Toolbox
‘Exceeded my expectations and
challenged me greatly... Given me
resources and tools to engage culture
and lead my church to do so.’
‘Very helpful, encouraging, and lifechanging... Given a wealth of information and
insights. Truly renewing and energising.’
‘More confident to engage with the world at work and in my
family on cultural issues.’
These are just some of the comments from past delegates on
LICC’s acclaimed Toolbox course. To find out why the course
inspires such passion and enthusiasm, book yourself a place now.
The next Toolbox runs 14–18 June, 2010. The week-long course
in biblical and cultural engagement costs £295, which includes
tuition, meals and cultural adventures. For more details, visit licc.
org.uk/toolbox, or call 020 7399 9555.

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